Thanks for giving it another go! Definitely a design problem that it's not clear enough what affect certain interactions are having that I would need to work on.
I will share that from the second room on there are multiple stations to tune to which provide parts of the whole clue needed to solve the puzzle. Originally I had these set at different positions, so you would rotate around and hear multiple broadcasts and have to piece them together, but some early feedback from a friend suggested that was confusing, and they suggested separate "bands" which you toggle between with the dpad. The trouble there is that it's easy to completely miss this mechanic, as was the case for you. Different kinds of static on each band, or a voice over to label the bands would probably solve that issue.
Anyways, I really appreciate you taking the time to experiment with it and provide detailed feedback.
Thanks for checking it out! Let me know if you can't make out what they're saying and that's where you're stuck. But here's a hint:
There is a missing word from what the female voice is saying - what word could that be?
The male voice says numbers in response to each photo. If you know what the missing word is, you can work out from these numbers the order of buttons to press.
The other clue you need comes from the male voice saying, "Normally I would say six, but this one only has FIVE."
This is also a clue about the sequence of button presses.
Hey! Thanks so much for checking it out. Definitely not a skill issue, more likely a design issue. It's my first time making an audio game.
Can I ask how you were using the controller when trying to tune the radio? My hunch is that you were pulling and holding the analog stick at different positions, when the game requires you to rotate the stick clockwise or anti-clockwise to tune. Definitely a problematic assumption on my part - that any player would intuit that was how to interact with the radio, without any feedback to communicate that. Probably needs more clear audio cues, or a change in UI so the player doesn't get stuck on that!
Appreciate you providing the link to the stream - very helpful!
The third level solution is maybe counterintuitive because the note bypasses one of the students you've placed... I am curious what combo you had that should have worked, but didn't. One rule, which we should make more explicit in player feedback, is that all students have to be placed for a solution to be valid.
Really appreciate your kind and thoughtful comment. :)
I loved the atmosphere you created with this game! The music, art and animation all work together beatifully to create a sense of a mystical, magical forest.
I got a little stuck with some of the gameplay. I realised after reading the page what I was meant to do in the deer level, but it would have been nice if the game communicated the rules organically, somehow.
Fun game! Soundtrack made me feel like a classy kind of thief!
I did get stuck on the first puzzle, but it was only because I couldn't work out which clue was the right one for that puzzle. I think the puzzle difficulty could be finessed, but it's more about adding multiple steps to some of the solutions. If I had to find multiple pieces of information from different sources and combine them together to solve a puzzle, that would make me feel more like a proper sleuth!
Wow, what beautiful artwork! Really loved the style of the characters and environments.
Fun story, too! I laughed out loud at the police voice.
I did find myself getting a bit confused with the interaction feedback. I kept trying to interact with objects not realising I was out of range. It took me a moment to work out that objects would highlight grey at a certain distance and then white when they were within range of interacting. I think it would be clearer if the objects only highlighted one colour, and only once they were within range of interacting.
The audio and design in this is next level. Loved all the little details with the parralaxing and the reflections around the sides of the game screen. Music is fantastic. Haven't got too far into the story yet, but I'm intrigued. And as an Aussie, it's nice to see a game set in Melbourne, haha!
Cool idea! Tbh, I almost gave up right away. But I enjoyed the discouraging attitude in the narration, and the defiant voice in my head encouraged me to keep playing when I thought I was stuck.
One bit of feedback I would give is that the text on your game page, with the white on yellow, is really hard to read! Although now that I think about it, that might be intentional?
What a joy this was to play! Surprised how fun it was to pick up shells and run from the waves. The way the difficulty steadily escalated with the speed, depth and frequency of waves was an elegant design choice that kept me engaged 'til the end. Super cohesive style with the art and music, too. Loved it!
The art and sound is beautiful. Really impressive for a game jam!
I was a bit confused by getting ending 1. I believe it would be an improvement to give the player more warning before the game ends like that. Some kind of hint about the stakes of the decision you're about to make. For me, the ending seemed to come out of no where.
But other than that, I thought it was great! Well done to your team!
Love it. Almost as stressful as being in a real mall.
One tiny piece of feedback is that I think it'd be better if you finished the level by touching the end, without requiring E to interact. I got to the end and then died because it took me a second to realise I had to press E.
